Singapore sets global record for single ethanol bunkering

Maersk, Golden Island and PSA supplied 5,000 tonnes of bioethanol.

Singapore conducted its first ethanol bunkering operation, supplying approximately 5,000 metric tonnes of bioethanol at PSA Singapore’s (PSA) Pasir Panjang Terminal on 17 October, with the support of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

The operation was the largest volume of ethanol bunkered in a single operation globally to date, according to a joint statement.

Maersk, Golden Island and PSA carried out the operation simultaneously with cargo operations (SIMOPS), using a mass flow meter (MFM) to measure the bioethanol supplied.

Maersk Halifax, a Singapore-registered dual-fuel container vessel, received the ISCC-certified bioethanol from Golden Island’s Singapore-registered IMO Type II chemical tanker, M.T. Golden Centaurus.

Ethanol has similar handling characteristics to methanol and can be used in methanol-capable engines, subject to the necessary modifications, according to the statement.

The operation will provide data and learning points to assess how Singapore’s existing methanol bunkering technical reference, TR 129, could be adapted for ethanol bunkering.

The findings will also inform whether existing MFM systems can be used for future ethanol bunkering operations.

“The findings will help us develop the standards and procedures needed for safe and efficient ethanol bunkering, as we continue to prepare Singapore for a multi-fuel future,” said Ang Wee Keong, CEO of MPA.

Before the SIMOPS, participating parties conducted a Hazard Identification and Hazard and Operability Study workshop.

MPA has also worked with stakeholders to ensure crew members were trained in handling the marine fuel and responding to emergencies, drawing on experience from methanol bunkering.

“Safety remains our foremost priority, and this operation provides valuable insights into how ethanol bunkering can be safely integrated with container terminal operations,” said Nelson Quek, Regional CEO for Southeast Asia at PSA International.

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